Foam Weapon League combines fake blood with real battle

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Samson versus Squid at Foam Weapon League Photo by Diane Gambill, courtesy of Foam Weapon League

About two years ago, TV producer David Ballard decided to combine his love of science fiction and live action role play with his skills as a producer. The result is the Foam Weapon League, whose motto is "fake blood, real fighting." Ballard discussed the FWL with KPCC's Alex Cohen.

Ballard likens the FWL to Lucha Va Voom with a twist of Dungeons and Dragons. "My shortand to describe it is the WWE for nerds," says Ballard.

Each competitor takes on an FWL name and persona like "Prince Harming" and "The Squid," who also dresses his dog up as a squid. One is a professional bodybuilder with a full face tattoo named "Hard Core."

During each battle, two warriors face off against each other using weapons crafted from foam. But this isn't your average NERF sword, these weapons often have fiberglass cores and can do serious damage. That's why one of the FWL rules is that competitors aren't allowed to take shots at each other's head.

Each warrior wears a harness that holds water balloons filled with fake blood. Puncturing one of these balloons counts as a hit - two hits constitutes a win. Ballard says it's a bit like the stick fight held in the middle of a circle depicted in "Rambo 3."

Watch a Foam Weapon League video:

The Foam Weapon League is inviting the public to come watch them battle. You can see these warriors in action on Saturday night at the Silver Factory Studios at 4310 Jefferson Blvd.

The winner of the evening will receive a tropy - made of foam, of course.